Monday, July 20, 2009

Did Democrats Just Figure Out That Their Donors Are Those Evil Rich Guys They've Been Trash Talking?

A group of Democrats elected in recent years from some of the country's richest congressional districts have emerged as a stumbling block to raising taxes on the wealthy to pay for President Barack Obama's ambitious health-care overhaul just as the plan has begun to meet increasing resistance over its cost.

Friday, two freshmen representatives -- Dina Titus, from suburban Las Vegas, and Colorado's Jared Polis, representing Boulder, Vail and some of the tonier suburbs of Denver -- joined Republicans to vote against Mr. Obama's top-priority health-care overhaul when it faced a vote in their House Education and Labor Committee. One reason was a one-percentage point-surtax on couples earning between $350,000 and $500,000 -- gradually increasing to 5.4 percentage points on earnings more than $1 million -- to pay for it.

After months of claiming that wealthy Americans are the root of all evil there has been a turnaround. So, has it finally sunk in that the wealthy fuel this country? Well, no. The democrats aren’t concerned about the financial health of the country. They are concerned about the financial health of their re-election purses.

Election gains in some of these affluent regions have helped give Democrats big majorities in the House and Senate. Of the 25 richest districts, 14 are represented by Democrats, according to Congressional Quarterly. In 1995, Democrats represented just five of those districts.

It is no secret that the constituent who holds the donation dollars has the politician’s ear. It appears that freshman democrats are leery of biting the hand that feeds them.

"There could come a time," said Rep. Michael McMahon, a freshman Democrat from New York City's borough of Staten Island, when Democrats are in open rebellion. "We will certainly see in the next few weeks where we are going."

Time certainly will tell whether the democrats are willing sell both their country and their re-elections down the river. One thing is certain, if the democrats end up biting themselves on the butt there won’t be many tears shed.

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About Me

Woke up one day and decided I'd better start paying attention. Found out that there is a direct correlation between paying attention and ulcers.
The ulcers don't bother me. Fortunately, my parents credo was "Don't let the bastards get you down!" I never have.